Hurons
/ˈhjʊərənz/noun
A historical plural name for the Wendat, an Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region of North America.
Did you know?The people commonly called Hurons call themselves Wendat, while “Huron” was a name applied by French observers and may have originated as an insult.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Wendat
Wendat
“The people’s own name for themselves, commonly interpreted as referring to their nation or community.”
Early 17th Century
French
Huron
“A French name applied to the Wendat; its exact origin is uncertain.”
1610s–1620s
French
huron
“A colonial ethnonym recorded in French accounts of the Great Lakes region.”
17th Century
French
Hurons
“The plural French form used for the Wendat people.”
Modern English
English
Hurons
“A historical English plural name for the Wendat, now often avoided in favor of Wendat because of its colonial origin.”